Annual religious procession of Hindu temple attacked by Muslims amidst violent threats in Andhra Pradesh
Rayachoti, Andhra Pradesh, India 
3 March, 2025
Case Summary
In Rayachoti, Andhra Pradesh, a Hindu procession led by devotees of lord Veerabhadraswamy was attacked and pelted with stones by Muslims. According to reports, Hindu devotees in Rayachoti had obtained prior permission from the authorities to carry out the Veerabhadraswamy procession through the town's lanes. This annual ritual, part of the 1,300-year-old Veerabhadraswamy temple’s tradition, attracted visitors from neighbouring states such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. However, as the procession reached Tana Junction around 6 PM, a group of Muslims from a mosque objected to the procession. They also questioned how Hindus dared to participate in the procession under police escort. Soon after, nearly 500 Muslims gathered in the area, issuing death threats to the Hindu devotees and creating an atmosphere of fear. A Muslim individual took to the mosque’s microphone and declared, “Police ne hamku doka diya”, meaning “The police have betrayed us”. This further incited the mob to violence. Agitated crowds from around the mosque and nearby areas then launched a brutal attack on the Hindu devotees, pelting them with stones. Even the police were caught in the violence, sustaining injuries as their helmets and shields were damaged. Despite repeated appeals from police officials to restore order, the mosque leaders and the violent mob refused to disperse. As the situation escalated, the police were forced to resort to a lathi charge. Superintendent of Police (SP) V. Vidhya Sagar Naidu, IPS, who attempted to mediate with Muslim leaders inside the mosque, was met with hostility and had shoes hurled at him. Before the procession, a peace committee had convened and expressed support for the event, yet the attack took place regardless. Following the violence, the police registered two separate cases—one against Hindus and another against Muslims. However, both cases were contradictory to each other. Reserve Police Inspector J. Narasimha Reddy’s complaint named 16 Hindus as accused and charged them under sections 189(2), 191(2), 191(3), 132, 109, 196, 351(2), 61(2) r/w 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS-2023). Meanwhile, Reserve Inspector of Police Mekala Peddaiah filed a case against 17 Muslims under similar sections, along with Section 3 of the PDPP Act.
Why it is Hate Crime ?
This case has been added to the tracker under the primary category of- Attack not resulting in death. Under this, the first sub-category selected is- Attack on religious procession. The outward celebration and display of religious symbols in an intrinsic part of Hinduism. Religious processions on various festivals are age-old traditions and a way to manifest faith and form a part of the religious practices of Hindus. On several occasions, such religious processions come under attack by non-Hindu mobs, in a manifestation of their animosity towards Hinduism and their practices. The reasons cited for such violent attacks are many and range from crossing a non-Hindu resident-dominated area to playing loud music, crossing from an area where there is a religious structure of another faith etc. The violent attacks are triggered by the outward display of religiosity by Hindus. The attacks are mainly a manifestation of religious supremacist doctrine which believes that idolatry, essentially the Hindu faith, is one that deserves to be annihilated since the very tenets of Hinduism, its practices and traditions are considered a sin in those doctrines. Since these attacks emanate from intrinsic and doctrinal animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, it is considered a religiously motivated hate crime under this category. The second sub-category relevant here is- Attack on Hindu devotees. Hindu devotees are a few of the easiest targets of religiously motivated hate crimes because during the festival/procession/puja etc, for non-Hindus it is easy to profile their victims on the basis of religion. Hindu devotees come under attack on several occasions by individual non-Hindus or mobs of non-Hindus owing to their animosity against Hinduism, its symbols and tradition/practices. There are several instances of Hindu devotees being attacked while they worship in temples or temporary religious structures, during religious processions, doing bhajan/kirtan/puja in their own homes, in the residential society etc. These attacks are perpetrated by non-Hindus primarily because of their animosity towards Hindus and their faith. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, there are two elements that make these hate crimes. First, the Hindus who come under attack are attacked violently while indulging in religious activity. Whether they are in a place of worship or not is immaterial to the crime. When individuals are attacked while indulging in religious practices, the attack in itself is a hindrance to their freedom to practice religion and therefore constitutes a hate crime. Secondly, religious supremacist doctrines and ideologies deem religious practices of Hindus to be offensive ab initio since they are considered “sinful” by these ideologies, worthy to be annihilated by force or coercion. Driven by these religious supremacist ideologies and doctrines, the attacks against Hindu devotees stem from intrinsic animosity towards Hinduism. In some cases, the trigger for the violence may be non-religious, however, it develops into a religiously motivated crime during the course of the violence. Since these attacks stem from animosity towards Hindus and Hinduism, they are considered religiously motivated hate crimes under this category. The third sub-category under which this case has been placed is- Communal clash/attack. Communal clash is a form of collective violence that involves clashes between groups belonging to different religious identities. For a communal clash between Hindus and non-Hindus to qualify as a religiously motivated hate crime, the trigger of the violence itself would have to be anti-Hindu in essence. For example, if there is a Hindu religious procession that comes under attack from a non-Hindu mob and after the initial attack, Hindus retaliate in self-defence, leading to a communal clash between the two religious communities. While at a later stage, both communities are involved in the clash/violence, the initial trigger of the violence was by the non-Hindu mob against the Hindus and therefore, it could safely be termed as an anti-Hindu violence. Further, the trigger would also have to be religiously motivated. In the cited example, the attack by the non-Hindu mob was against religious processions and therefore, can be concluded to be religiously motivated. In some cases, the trigger may be non-religious, however, it develops into religious violence against Hindus at a later stage. In such cases too, the foundational animosity towards Hindus becomes the motivating factor of the crime and therefore, it would be classified as a religiously motivated hate crime against Hindus under this category. The fourth sub-category selected here is- Attacked for crossing 'Muslim area'. One of the reasons that Hindus get attacked unprovoked specifically by Islamists is for crossing ‘Muslim areas’. Essentially, Muslim mobs often attack Hindus crossing or present in certain areas which have a majority Muslim population. It has often been cited as one of the reasons to blame Hindus for attacks against themselves, signalling that Hindus displaying religious symbols, taking our religious processions or crossing any area which is dominated by Muslim residents is a provocation in and of itself. These areas are mostly ghettoized areas where mobs mobilize quickly to attack Hindus for a variety of reasons like playing music during a religious procession, crossing a mosque, wearing a tilak or any other religious symbol in a Muslim-dominated area, praying at a local temple in that area etc. There have been cases where the few local Hindus of that area have been attacked on their way to the Temple for prayers as well, simply because the area is considered a Muslim-dominated area. Several times, it is entirely possible that the immediate trigger for the violence against Hindus was non-religious in nature, however, the violence became religiously motivated in nature because the area was Muslim dominated and the residents on the whole harboured animosity towards Hindus, evidenced from the actions of the mob, the slogans, and the nature of the attack. Such crimes are motivated by the religious identity of the victims and are therefore classified as hate crimes under this category. This violent attack on the Hindu procession is a clear demonstration of religious intolerance and hostility toward Hindu religious celebrations. The trigger for the violence was simply the Hindu procession passing by a mosque, despite having prior permission from authorities to carry out the Veerabhadraswamy procession through the town. As soon as the procession approached the mosque, a group of Muslims objected and instigated a brutal attack, pelting stones at Hindu devotees without any provocation. The aggressive response to the Hindu procession near mosques is more than just opposition—it is a deliberate assertion of control over public spaces. The gathering of nearly 500 Muslims in response to the procession in Rayachoti, along with death threats and organised stone pelting, indicates that the goal was to enforce fear and discourage Hindus from asserting their religious rights Islamists attempt to impose an unwritten rule that Hindu religious activities should not take place near mosques, even in legally permitted processions. They aim to condition Hindus into accepting restrictions on their religious expressions, thereby normalizing the dominance of Islamist elements over public spaces. The public nature of such attacks sends a message to the broader Hindu community that any assertion of their faith can be met with violence and intimidation. Importantly, this attack involved stone pelting, which strongly suggests premeditation and careful planning. The absence of any provocation from the Hindu side reinforces that this was not a reactionary incident, but rather a well-orchestrated assault. Stone pelting requires preparation, coordination, and the acquisition of materials beforehand, making it clear that the attackers had intentions of disrupting the religious procession. The deliberate and organised nature of this assault further underscores the deep-seated animosity against Hindu religious traditions and the hostility toward their public expression, thereby making this incident a textbook example of religious intolerance and warranting its inclusion in the Hate Crime database in the tracker.
Case Status
Complaint filed
Perpetrators Details
Perpetrators
Muslim Extremists
Perpetrators Range
From 10 to 100
Perpetrators Gender
unknown
Sources 
